Falana Opposes Reliance On Foreign Nations To Defeat Terrorism

The Nigerian government has been advised not to rely on foreign nations to win the ongoing war against terrorism and banditry in the country.

Human rights lawyer, Mr Femi Falana (SAN), who stated this, said that with the proper funding and motivation of members of the Nigerian armed forces, the work could be done effectively.

Falana also called on the government to address social insecurity, as it cannot end insecurity without doing so.

The senior advocate who spoke in a chat with journalists in his hometown, Ilawe Ekiti, at the weekend said, “you cannot end insecurity in a country without addressing social insecurity.

He said, “If young people are unemployed and unemployment is on the increase, some of them are likely to be driven to criminality. It is often said that ‘the devil finds work for idle hands’.

“So while the government is being pressured to fund, to equip the armed forces and the Nigerian police force, sufficient attention must be paid to youth unemployment”.

Falana, who insisted that Nigerian armed forces are capable of defeating those waging war against the country, without foreign intervention, further cautioned the federal government against allowing US President Donald Trump to promote religious war in Nigeria.

Speaking further on the recent air strike in Sokoto, and the statement credited to the American President, Donald Trump as well as the official statement that the government provided the intelligence for that operation he said, “To secure Nigeria, is not the business of any foreign nation, it is the duty of the government under the constitution and the government must carry out that duty.

“Since Nigerians know where the problems lie, we have a duty to compel the government of our country to carry out its responsibility under the law.

“Trump is saying his intervention is to protect Christians. The criminals who are killing Nigerians do not care about the religion of their targets; those collecting ransom after kidnapping Nigerians do not bother about the religion of the abductees. Therefore, the war against terror in Nigeria must be carried out without any attempt to divide our people along religious and ethnic lines.

“I insist, and I believe that the armed forces of Nigeria, if adequately equipped in line with the provisions of Section 217 of the constitution, can defeat the forces of terror in Nigeria in a matter of months without any foreign intervention.

“We can see them in videos and compare them with our soldiers. Therefore, the government should stop diverting its attention by relying on foreign forces. This battle is here, and our troops can fight it”.